The last time I was in Sydney, I was amazed at the spectacular sunrises and sunsets over the harbor and the famous opera house. I snapped this shot just after sunrise, when the sun finally broke through the morning clouds. Moments earlier, the sky exploded with pinks, yellows and oranges, which I also captured…
72 Hours at Grand Velas Los Cabos, 27 photos
The original Grand Velas revolutionized the all-inclusive resort sector in the Riviera Maya when it opened there more than 10 years ago. And now comes Grand Velas Los Cabos, which is guaranteed to be a game-changer for Mexico’s Baja Peninsula…
Photo of the week: Langostine at Grand Velas Los Cabos
This is the langostino al carbon from Frida restaurant at Grand Velas Los Cabos, the newest edition to the Grand Velas resort family. The langostine is served with a chipotle-molasses sauce, esquites (corn salad) and a little blanket made from red chilies (like a spicy fruit roll-up)…
Heli-fishing at Nimmo Bay, BC
The helicopter lifts, then tilts back, back, back… The trees spin sideways. The bay slips out from under us. The sky comes rushing forward. Clouds. Blue. An eagle… The trees begin righting themselves. We were upside down for only a split second before completing the loop-d-loop. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to weightlessness, and though I want to retain my composure, I can’t wipe the silly grin off my face. We feather toward the lake, landing softly on one of the resort’s three over-water helipads.
Hotel Review: Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad, India
On the outskirts of modern, high-tech Hyderabad, on a hilltop in the heart of the Old City, one of India’s finest historic palaces recently opened as a luxury hotel…
The 10 best bowls of ramen in O.C.
Orange County is ramen paradise. We have it good here. Really, really good. Here are the 10 best. You won’t go wrong with any one of these, but you will have to wait in line at all of them…
Hotel Review: LondonHouse, Chicago
The LondonHouse opened in May and overlooks the Chicago River from the famous corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. The 22-story historic landmark emerged from a dramatic three-year reconstruction project that saw the addition of a glass and steel annex next door, juxtaposing the original beaux arts structure with an ultra-modernist annex, creating a 452-room hotel…
72 Hours in Chicago, 27 photos
Forever one of the world’s most significant cities for architecture, Chicago’s skyline has grown even more spectacular in recent years, both around the river and along the lakefront. Here’s a quick look around of the city I used to call home.
Hotel Review: The Robey, Chicago
After what seemed like the longest delay in hotel-opening history, The Robey finally opened its doors in November in the heart of Chicago’s Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood. A member of Design Hotels, the 69-room, 12-story Robey is the second U.S. property for Mexico City-based Grupo Habita…
Alinea, Chicago: 3 hours, 29 photos
Alinea reopened in May after a five-month closure to refreshen the restaurant for its 10th anniversary. They nailed it. This is still one of the greatest restaurants in the world.
Photo of the Week: Huntington Beach
I love Huntington Beach in the middle of the week when nobody’s there. Come Saturday, and this very beach is completely mobbed.
O.C. Review: Irenia, Santa Ana
Irenia has the potential to do for Filipino cuisine in Orange County what Taco Maria has done for Mexican food.
THIS JUST IN: pdn Taste – 2016 FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS!
Winners were announced today for the PDN Taste – 2016 Food Photography Awards, and I won two categories! PDN Taste is the most prestigious food photography contest in America…
Photo of the week: Four Seasons Punta Mita yacht
This is one of my all-time favorite sunsets. I took this during a cruise aboard a beautiful 55-foot yacht operated by the Four Seasons Punta Mita, 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Photo of the week: The Agrarian Kitchen, Tasmania
The Agrarian Kitchen is a literal farm-to-table cooking school in rural Tasmania, 45 minutes northwest of Hobart. Pretty much everything that makes it into the kitchen here comes from the surrounding farm: chickens, ducks, hogs, fruits, vegetables…
OC Review: Ootoro Sushi, Irvine
The chef reaches over the sushi counter and places a bowl in front of each of us. The bowls are filled with ice, topped with the live shrimp he has just dismantled. The shrimp are huge, like mutants. Their dismembered heads and bodies sit side by side, a couple of inches apart but still very much alive.
